Our iconic 90s shopping centre is being TORN DOWN under ‘totally crazy’ plan that sounds a death knell for our town
AN ICONIC shopping centre could be torn down under a "totally crazy" plan that residents say is a "disgrace" for their town.
Loughborough's Carillon Court, on Swan Street, was a once-booming mall in the 90s and has welcomed customers since 1971.
But over the years the property has slipped into decline, with a number of vendors shuttering shops inside.
Plans to bulldoze the shopping centre have already been submitted to Charnwood Borough Council (CBC), by Leicester Commercial Ltd.
But the firm is still waiting approval from the council before it can commence any works.
The demolition would see Loughborough lose its only shopping centre and multi-storey car park.
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Locals have expressed concerns its removal for student accommodation will be a "disgrace" and will sound the death knell for shopping in town.
Many have dubbed the plans a "crazy idea" that will have a "dramatically negative impact" on the community.
One local said: "The loss of such prime retail real estate in the heart of the town will have a dramatically negative impact on Loughborough and its residents."
They have also been met with fierce opposition from nearby business and homeowners.
Iain Lister, who runs Café–Ambience, told LeicesterLive construction works would impact his deliveries.
He claimed his cafe “risks losing essential access for deliveries" but more importantly there would be a "serious risk to life".
Mr Lister explained his business' emergency exit is located under the shopping mall's car park ramp - which would be demolished.
Another resident also wrote to object and complained it would "completely destroy the town centre".
The Loughborough local slammed the amount of "barbers, nail bars, charity shops, bookmakers, coffee shops and fast food outlets".
He blasted: "There is nothing for the locals, who now have to travel to Leicester or Nottingham to find decent shops."
The documents submitted to CBC stated demolition, if approved, would take place between May 18 and October 31 later this year.
They read: "The work onsite generally is the demolition of Carillion [sic] Court, Loughborough, that includes car parking area at the rear and shops to the underside and front of the car park.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
"More specifically the works covers: internal strip outs, demolition to structures, removal of slabs and substructures to 3m below ground level, site crushing.”
All final objections must be made to plans by April 8.
Charnwood Borough Council said: "There is an application to demolish part of the centre. This is live on the Council’s planning portal under planning reference number: P/25/0828/2.
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"The application is being considered through the planning process. The Council has 28 days to come to its determination.
"This will be around 9-10 May."